AN: Just a head's up about this story, I won't be doing all the side quests from Inquisition. I'll do all the main quests as well as the companion's personal quest and the important side quests (like destroying the Templar and Mage camps in the hinterlands) but other than that it will simply be ones that I find interesting or that offer chances for amusing commentary.

Herald of Destruction

Chapter 3

-Percy-

"You speak crossbow?" Percy asked the short man, Varric, while reaching down to pick up a morning star from one of the fallen men in armor. Testing the weight, he nodded and put it in his off hand, his shield remaining on his back.

"What can I say," Varric shrugged but seemed to be watching him curiously "I'm a man of many talents.

"So that translates to two?" old habits died hard and Percy needed something, anything, familiar to distract himself right now "Shooting and talking? Truly an awe-inspiring plethora of abilities you possess."

"Oh, now that's just hurtful." Varric put a mock affronted hand to his chest as they vaulted over a broken fence "I can also write."

"Don't encourage him." Cassandra grumbled back at them, the pointy eared man walking alongside her, a staff held in his hands. He decided not to point out that by getting so irritated she was the one encouraging the short archer.

"Demons ahead!" Solas called out, the man's staff twirling and coming alight with artic power, waves of cold pouring from the head of the weapon. Giving his wrists a spin he readied his weapons and charged, shooting past a surprised Cassandra and Solas. Everything ins his life had gone to Tartarus and didn't look like it planned to come back.

Roaring out a battle cry he swung his mace at the first demon, one of the glowing green spirits, causing it to burst apart with a wail of surprise. With the death of their comrade the other demons turned their gaze unto him as he growled. "Come on!" and with that he moved to show why he was named the destroyer.

He moved like a hurricane, twirling and striking out as the demons came close. With the flail, he bashed aside their attacks or crushed their skulls while the sword pierced and slashed their flesh. Under the combined onslaught of his rage and the steel of his jailors the demons were crushed, dissipating into emerald energy that flowed back into the sky.

"Check the buildings for survivors." Cassandra ordered as she sheathed her blade, moving quickly to one of the intact buildings that wasn't on fire.

"So…" Varric began as they began searching for anyone who was alive and not a demon "are you innocent?"

"I don't remember anything from the past several days but I know I wouldn't do this, not knowingly at least." He said firmly "But being blamed for someone else causing an explosion isn't anything new for me."

"You're kidding." Varric deadpanned "How many times have you been blamed for an explosion caused by someone else?"

"My Uncle sent a fire breathing monster called a Chimera to kill me when I was twelve," he began counting off "my cousin tried to kill me a few weeks later and set off an explosion to attack the people trying to arrest us, a group of giants were sent to kill me and I was blamed for the destruction when I was thirteen, and a few other things that while not explosions, I was still blamed for."

"You must have given your mother no end of grey hair." Varric laughed happily, said laugh dying out almost instantly as Percy clenched his fist, his eyes closed tight, a single tear still escaping them. This reaction was noted by Solas and Cassandra as well.

"It occurs to me that we haven't been told your name." Solas spoke up in an attempt to change the subject, something he was thankful for even if the intentions were obvious.

"Perseus," he answered, forcing the tension from his shoulders and making his grip relax "Perseus Jackson."

"Perseus?" Varric mused over the name, "Never heard a name like that one before."

"Jackson?" Cassandra had focused on something different "That sounds like the names the Avaar use."

"I don't know who the 'Avaar' are," he answered the woman coldly before turning to Varric and elaborated "As for my name it means 'the Destroyer' in the language of my ancestors."

"That's…grim." Varric shivers "Why on earth would your parents name you that?"

"My father was a nobleman who was already married when I was conceived." They found the few houses empty as they searched but did manage to find some gold coins which Varric happily pocketed along with a few small items "and had many dangerous enemies. Perseus was the name of one of the only heroes from my people who had a happy ending. My mother was hoping that that luck would pass onto me. As you can tell since I'm stuck with her," he jerked a thumb at an affronted Cassandra "that didn't happen."

"Nobility?" Solas asked as they turned back to the path and began their way up the long flight of steps, getting closer and closer to the breach "Was your father a Baron? A count?"

Sighing, and wanting to get this over with, he brought up his right hand which still had the signet ring his father had given him for his last birthday, made of a blue-green gold and the flat surface was decorated with the trident. "I am Perseus, son of Poseidon, lord of the Grecian waters."

All was silent for a time before Varric exclaimed "You're a prince!"

"An illegitimate one but yes." He shrugged "My homeland has many smaller provinces and territories with their own rulers whose power is almost absolute. They report to a council made of the strongest twelve who in turn report to the council's leader the High King, or did."

"Did?" Cassandra asked, likely wanting to figure out exactly where he was from and figure out what this whole situation with him meant. To his surprise though it was a question, not a command.

"My father was a member of the council along with his youngest brother." Percy explained "I was banished because my Uncle's daughter had lost her powers and he not only wanted someone to blame but had always hated me. He set up a 'trial' but it was a sham. I was banished and my abilities sealed away, most of them at least. He banished me and I don't know what happened but I woke up in the cell with several days of my memory missing."

"Sealed your powers?" Solas asked, the man's eyes narrowing "And how do you know it was several days if you have memory loss?"

"I estimated judging by how much these had healed." He pulled back the sleeves around his wrist to show the lightning burns from his shackles "My Uncle enjoyed using lightning on me during the trial."

"Your Uncle was a mage." Cassandra's eyes widened "Sealing your powers…he tried making you tranquil""

"Never heard that term but most of my powers are sealed away by what he did." Noting the term mage down he heard the sound of more demons ahead. Before he could continue onward Varric spoke up.

"Why did you tell us all of this?" the short man asked, eyes alight with confusion while Cassandra's were narrowed in suspicion.

"I'm going to be dead soon anyway," he said, his voice hollow, an empty smile on his lips "I'd like to at least pretend I'm able to have a friend to talk to before that happens." With that he turned and charged the demons.

-Varric-

Frowning he provided cover fire for Perseus, absorbing what was just said. "What do you make of all this Chuckles?" he asked Solas, the elf standing beside him while Cassandra had charged off after Perseus.

"He sounded honest to me." Solas admits in his ever semi-formal tone "And I did sense some form of restrained power within him. I had simply assumed that it was the mark but if it was true and his people have a different method of inducing tranquility…"

"Then I hope it doesn't spread." He interrupted the elven mage "One method is one too many already. Although that story about his Uncle putting him on trial, it would explain why he was so cynical about the Seeker and her own mentioning of one."

"Do you think he could have come from Tevinter or somewhere near it if his people are ruled by mages?" Solas asked, the thought honestly intriguing Varric as well but he shook his head "We would have heard about a new form of tranquility if they used it and I've never heard of a government like the one he described." With a final pull of the trigger the last demon faded away.

"I hope Liliana made it through all this." Cassandra spoke up as he and Solas moved to catch up with the two warriors.

"The red head?" Perseus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's the one," he spoke up, jogging hard to catch up to the others "and don't worry Seeker, she's resourceful."

"We will see soon enough, we're almost at the forward camp."

Perseus nodded and looked ready to say something else when he froze and looked at his palm "There's another rift nearby." He said, flexing his fingers as the mark glowed green.

"Brilliant." He sighed and readied Bianca as they finally crested the hill and saw several soldiers clashing with the demons. Once more Perseus gave a battle cry and charged into the fray. Watching Perseus fight was beautiful and terrifying. The man seemed to have no regard for his own life and fought, ironically, like a demon. Moving with the speed and grace of a whirlwind the man lashed out with the two weapons, more than earning his name. A look of pure rage was across Perseus' face when closing the rift, as if channeling all the pain and suffering the marked man had endured into that single action.

Inside the forward camp, after they replenished their supply of potions, he saw Liliana with some Chantry Bureaucrat and the two were arguing. "Ah, here they come." The man said, looking up at their approach.

"You made it!" Liliana breathed out in relief at seeing them there "Chancellor Roderick, this is-"

"I know who he is." The Chancellor interrupted with a scowl before pointing at Perseus "As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry I hereby order you to take this Criminal to Val Royeaux to await execution."

"Order me?!" Cassandra began angrily "You are-" what she thought the Chancellor was Varric wouldn't find out as at that moment Perseus, a look of anger on his face, punched the man in the face and sent him flying back through a tent.

"Nice punch." He laughed at that, "You might almost be as tough as Avelline on a bad day…almost."

"I will not be this man's scapegoat." Perseus growled as Roderick groaned and got to his feet, the right side of the man's face turning an interesting shade of purple. "He claims to be a man of virtue and honor yet his first words are about having me executed without even a farce of a trial." Perseus glanced at Cassandra and seemed to have a hint of grudging respect "At least you were better than that."

"We need to get up to the Temple." Cassandra spoke up as soldiers gathered around, none bothering to help up the Chancellor,

"That route may be the quickest, but not the safest." Liliana spoke up "We should let our forces charge as a distraction, while we take the mountain path."

"Men's lives are not a distraction." Perseus spoke up coldly before Cassandra could respond to the idea before he glared up at the breach as his arm danced and crackled with emerald lightning, Perseus' eyes shining with the pain he was in "I won't survive long enough to face any sort of trial, whatever happens, happens now. I say we charge."

"Then let's go." Cassandra said, the hints of a smile twitching at the corners of her lips.